New details have emerged revealing how careless remarks made in a changa’a den helped authorities secure a conviction in a violent robbery and murder case in Webuye Township, Bungoma County.
The case involved Joseph Chumaki, a night watchman at an internet café on Nyange Street, who was brutally killed during a robbery. His body was later discovered bearing deep cuts to the head and neck, while several computers were stolen from the premises.
According to findings upheld by the Court of Appeal, a breakthrough came just hours after the murder when Wycliffe Wafula Matanda, the suspect, visited a local changa’a den while bleeding from a fresh ear injury.
While intoxicated, Matanda allegedly engaged in an open conversation with a friend, casually narrating how the night had unfolded.
During the conversation, Matanda reportedly revealed that he and an accomplice had confronted the guard, and after a struggle in which the guard bit his ear, the accomplice killed him using a metal bar and a panga.
The bar owner, who overheard the exchange, later reported the conversation to authorities. He also claimed to have seen Matanda using a computer that was later destroyed.
Police investigations confirmed that Matanda had a recent ear injury consistent with his statements. While being interrogated, he led officers to where stolen computer parts had been hidden. The items were positively identified as having been stolen from the cyber café.
Despite the absence of direct eyewitnesses to the killing, the court ruled that the circumstantial evidence was overwhelming. Judges noted that the fresh injuries, the unsolicited confession, and the recovery of stolen property soon after the crime firmly placed Matanda at the scene.
Matanda was convicted of robbery with violence and murder and initially sentenced to death. The sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment. Subsequent appeals were dismissed, with judges ruling that the evidence presented was credible, consistent, and sufficient to sustain the conviction.
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